Category Archives: Pastor Sarah

Alexis, Alisa, Anders, Animals, Baier, Becca, Bethany, Bill, Brandon, Carla, Derrick, Elainie, Evie, Flat Earth Joe, Holidays, House, Iowa State, Jason, Jay, Jen, Jesse, Johnathan, Jorge, Logan, Mom, Movies, Nader, Naima, Nate, Pastor Sarah, Sara, Sarah Toot, Scottie D., Shannon, Shorty, Tenderloining, Teresa, Tim, Willy, Youth Group

Won’t Take that Credit; I know Where We Get It; Them Blessings Be Comin’ from God Above

November 23, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Rather than my standard picture of an inflatable turkey, thought (with apologies to Lecrae, I’d give thanks for some of the many blessings in my life.

Count it up, count it up, count it up.
Line ’em up, line ’em up, line ’em up.

Blessed with a tremendous biological family. Blessed to share DNA and a life with these people.

Blessed to be a part of Olivia’s family. Blessed to learn a new definition of the word “family” from Shorty and Doris.

Blessed to be a part of an incredible church family. From Youth Group to Methodist Men to the people I see in the pews on Sundays.

Blessed to have a job and double blessed to have a great work family. 7 AM comes pretty early, but so many of the people I work with make the struggle worth the effort.

Blessed to share a life with this band of brothers. Not one of us has any fashion sense, but I’d still take a bullet for any of them.

Blessed to fit in with this band of sisters as well.

Blessed to be able to share my love of weird cinema with like minded individuals once a month.

Blessed to be a Cyclone and double blessed to have somebody to share so many trips to Jack Trice (a spiritual place for me) with.

Blessed to have a roof over my head that belongs to me. Blessed that I can extend that roof over friends and family when their life needs it. Blessed that when I say, “Want to help paint by house?” 20+ people show up.

Blessed that friends from past jobs are still important pillars of my current life.

Blessed that people that aren’t related to me consider me an uncle to them.

Blessed to have a car that I can drive out of town and not worry about the tire falling off.

Blessed to have so many people in my life that when I say, “I’m coming to your city”, they say, “You’re staying with us right?”

Blessed to have so many people in my life that fill gaps.

Blessed that even though I’m aged, I still healthy enough to still ball. Although pretty poorly these days.

Blessed that even though I’m aged, I still have people in my life that keep me young.

Blessed to have people in my life that want to change the world for the better, when I get cynical.

Blessed to have art in my life.

Blessed to have a beautiful beard. Even if the old guys at my church hate it.

Blessed to have people who will help with projects like this, no questions asked.

Blessed to share a life and a domicile with this crazy beast. Teaches me about selfless love every single day.

Blessed to have a chance to spread my blessings to others, sometimes, with some of my favorite people.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of my blessings. But I don’t want it to start to sound like I’m bragging.

Angie, Cathie, Jorge, Kim, Nader, Pastor Sarah, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 111 – LANDSCAPE

October 30, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Usually when I start this weekly post with something about participation rates being kind of lax this week my email inbox suddenly gets several submissions. Not this week. LANDSCAPE didn’t ring the bell for many people. Maybe it was the cold weather this week. Maybe it was the excitement of Manafort Day! I don’t know, but there weren’t many LANDSCAPE submissions.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk tommyrot about submission rates. You came to see the submissions!

ANGIE DEWAARD

CATHIE RALEY

KIM BARKER

MIKE VEST

CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

SARAH KARBER

TAMARA PETERSON

JORGE RIOS

A solid week of submissions! Though they be small, they be mighty!

But enough dwelling on the past. Time to look to the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future! This week’s theme:

FRAMED!

FRAMED! What a great theme! But what does it mean? A FRAMED photo should have its main subject matter boxed in by what we’ll call negative space. What is around the subject should make a frame for the subject. For example, a frame makes a great frame. A window makes a great frame.

Of course, that isn’t the only definition of FRAMED.

However, use your imagination and define the theme anyway you see fit.

As always, I look forward to your interpretations.

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

1. The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

2. Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge. It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nothing new to report. I’ll try to do better next week.

Want your own Photography 139 email subscription? Call, email, or text me and I’ll get you the hook up.

**************************************

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very framed Monday!

Angie, Becky, Cathie, Kim, Macro, Pastor Sarah, Shannon, Sheri, Steph, Tamara, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 109 – MACRO

October 16, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

MACRO might be the most technically difficult theme on the WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Despite that, several people buckled up and gave it a spin!

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates, you came to see the MACRO submissions!

Sheri Farkhouri

Sarah Karber

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Tamara Peterson

Angie DeWaard

Tamara Peterson

Cathie Raley

Becky Parmelee

Kim Barker

Christopher D. Bennett

Mike Vest

Stephanie Kim

A solid week of submissions!

REFLECTION!

REFLECTION! What a great theme!!! Also, I don’t think it requires much of an explanation. Some surfaces show back what is looking at them. Mirrors for example. Water. Mylar. Of course their is more than one definition of REFLECTION. So interpret the theme as you see fit.

As always, I look forward to your interpretations!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nothing new to report. I’ll try to do better next week.

Want your own Photography 139 email subscription? Call, email, or text me and I’ll get you the hook up.

**************************************

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very reflective Monday!

Angie, Art, Black & White, Cathie, Dawn, Flowers, Kim, Pastor Sarah, Shannon, Sheri, Tamara, WPC - Submissions, Youth Group

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 107 – WHITE

October 2, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

Another week of good submissions for this week’s theme of WHITE.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions:

Angie DeWaard

Shannon Bardole

Sheri Fakhouri

Christopher D. Bennett

Sheri Fakhouri

Sarah Karber

Tamara Peterson

Dawn Krause

Cathie Raley

Kim Barker

A solid week of submissions!

ART!

ART! What a great theme! I don’t know what it is, but I know it when I see it! Get out there and make some ART!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nothing new to report. I’ll try to do better next week.

Want your own Photography 139 email subscription? Call, email, or text me and I’ll get you the hook up.

**************************************

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very artistic Monday!

Angie, Animals, Black & White, Cathie, Joe Duff, Michelle, Micky, Pastor Sarah, Shannon, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 106 – NATURE

September 28, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

I’m back from South Dakota, so it is time to reveal last week’s submissions for NATURE:

ANGIE DEWAARD 1

ANGIE DEWAARD 2

CATHIE RALEY 1

JOE DUFF

CATHIE RALEY 2

MICKY AUGUSTIN 1

MICHELLE HAUPT

MICKY AUGUSTIN 2

SARAH KARBER

SHANNON BARDOLE

TAMARA PETERSON

CHRISTOPHER D. BENNETT

KIM BARKER

ELIZABETH NORDEEN

NATURE is always one of my favorite week’s of SUBMISSIONS. Hoping WHITE is just as good!

Alisa, Andy, Jaxon, Mission Trip, Pastor Sarah, Travel, Youth Group

The Only Thing I Fear is the IRS and God

September 27, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

Looking for a chance to give to a good cause and eat completely edible food? Then do I have an opportunity for you!

Next Wednesday (October 4, 2017) the Boone First United Methodist Church Youth Group will be having a fundraiser to help pay for their mission trip to a yet to be determined location!

Just come out to the Boone Pizza Ranch between 5-8 and bring one of the slips below:

For every one of these we get turned in, we will get $2 towards our Mission Trip. Plus, there will be tip jars all around the Pizza Ranch where you can give a donation to help the cause.

What would you be helping to support? Take a look at the pictures below from past mission trips:

So please come out to Pizza Ranch next Wednesday and help support great kids doing great work!

Animals, Bethany, Dae Hee, Nora, Olympic Sports, Pastor Sarah, Shawn Karber, Street Photography, Travel

Here’s Scotland. Here’s Ireland. There’s the Bloody Sea!

September 20, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

A few weeks back I spent the weekend up in Minnesota. I went with Bethany, Dae Hee, Nora, Sara Karber, and Shawn Karber to The Irish Fair. Here are a few pictures from the event:

You must be wondering, do you recommend The Irish Fair?

The answer is no. Just like everything else Irish, it just isn’t as good as Scottish. I found out that there is a Scottish Fair in the Twin Cities as well, but I had already missed at the time these pictures were taken. I will be going to the Scottish Fair next year! This… I… DO… SWEAR on the grave of Connor MacLeod!!!!

Animals, Bethany, Brandon, Dae Hee, Iowa State, Jesse, Linda, Naima, Night, Nora, Pastor Sarah, Sarah Toot, Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, Shawn Karber, State Fair, Tim

Selfie Project – August

September 15, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 8 Comments

One of the benefits of THE SELFIE PROJECT is that I can look back at a month and feel less worthless. Hey, I actually did go out and do stuff and see people in month X. I’m a winner!

Speaking of winners, these are the photos I consider winners from the month of August:

August 2, 2017

August 5, 2017

August 6, 2017

August 7, 2017

August 10, 2017

August 11, 2017

August 12, 2017

August 13, 2017

August 15, 2017

August 16, 2017

August 19, 2017

August 20, 2017

August 21, 2017

August 22, 2017

August 24, 2017

August 26, 2017

August 27, 2017

August 29, 2017

August 30, 2017

August 31, 2017

Remember that THE SELFIE PROJECT photos are posted on Instagram on the daily. If you don’t know, Instagram is that little sliver of social media that doesn’t suck… much. There are a few lazy slackjaws out there that post memes, but other than that, it is just pictures. Any way you can follow me at the account below:

@christopherdbennett

Now I need to make sure that my September is almost as great as my August!

Angie, Cathie, Dawn, Nader, Pastor Sarah, Ruins, Shannon, WPC - Submissions

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE – WEEK 103 – RUINS

September 4, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett 3 Comments

This week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE took the typical holiday in participation. That is to be expected. What wasn’t to be expected was that there was a first time participant. Joe Duff submitted his first ever (and hopefully not last) submission. He managed to do it while being in the heart of Hurricane Harvey. So I guess whatever excuse you were going to give me about not being able to take a picture this week seems a little bit lame right about now. Doesn’t it.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates, you came here to see the submissions. Here they are:

Cathie Raley

Joe Duff

Christopher D. Bennett

Sarah Karber

Angie DeWaard

Dawn Krause 1

Dawn Krause 2

Shannon Bardole

While there weren’t many submissions this week, they were solid submissions.

LOW PERSPECTIVE

LOW PERSPECTIVE! What a great theme! What is LOW PERSPECTIVE? It is simple. You just have to get low to the ground. Think of what the world must look like to one of nature’s noblest of creatures, the rat, then photograph that view.

As always, I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nothing new to report. I’ll try to do better next week.

Want your own Photography 139 email subscription? Call, email, or text me and I’ll get you the hook up.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 GALLERY DIVISION

Sometimes people send me descriptions of their photos. I’ve never done anything with that information in the past. However, if you send me a description in the future, I will add it to your image in the Weekly Photo Challenge Gallery that houses all the submissions.

**************************************

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very LOW Monday!

Boone FUMC, Flat Earth Joe, Gretchen, Micky, Mission Trip, Nader, Naima, Nature, Pastor Sarah, Road Trip, Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, Shawn Karber, Travel, Youth Group

Selfie Project – June

August 4, 2017 Christopher D. Bennett

Here we are in August and I haven’t checked back into THE SELFIE PROJECT for the month of June. Here are some of favorites from June:

June 2

June 5

June 8

June 9

June 10

June 11

June 13

June 15

June 16

June 17

June 18

June 20

June 23

June 24

June 25

June 26

June 27

June 28

June 29

June 30

One side effect of THE SELFIE PROJECT I wasn’t expecting is that there are times when I think that might life is boring and I don’t do all that much. Then I look back at these pictures and I can see that I DO get out of the office or off the couch every now and again.

If you want to see all THE SELFIE PROJECT images, you can go here:

SELFIE PROJECT – 2017

And of course, you can stay current on THE SELFIE PROJECT by following me on the Instagram:

@christopherdbennett

I hope my July ended up being as good/great as my June!